by Mary Carolina Mica
Each Fall during Stewardship Season, the old Sunday School song “God Loves a Cheerful Giver” comes to mind. It is a playful song that I remember singing as a young child and perhaps you do too. Its catchy tune is so simple yet such a truthful reminder as we approach giving our pledge each year. The lyrics of the song are based on 2 Corinthians 9:7 which states,
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The practice of tithing has been instilled in both my husband and me since we were young. We watched our parents tithe and teach us what it meant. Now that we are parents, we are starting to discuss with our children the meaning of giving cheerfully to our church. It is not for our joy, but for His Kingdom. Most importantly, we want our children to know that we give God back what is ultimately His and in doing so, we praise Him in this act of worship. One example is what we do with our children’s full piggy banks. Last year, when our son’s piggy bank was full, we told him he could empty it out and buy something on an upcoming trip, but first, he had to set aside a portion to give to the church and some to put in savings. Basic principles of stewardship applied even on his level, and it brought incredible joy to us to see our young son begin to understand these principles.
When David and I first got married, submitting our pledge to St. Peter’s was something we both felt very strongly about. We wanted to start our marriage and future family by giving to our church. While the amount has varied over the years, we have intentionally tried to increase it each year. Some years it has been a true leap of faith! But each year as we see the Lord’s generosity in our lives and in this Cathedral, we are overjoyed and encouraged to do more.
Our family is grateful for the ministries of St. Peter’s and shares in the desire to increase our missions and external spending. As Father Michael shared with us in his sermon at the beginning of our stewardship season, “Stewardship is the spiritual discipline which enables us to become generous and so reflect the generosity of God.”
As we all work to make stewardship a spiritual discipline in our lives, may you find joy in being a cheerful giver!